Inspection in manufacturing is a process that involves the testing, gauging, measuring, and examination of a material or specimen, with the express purpose of determining whether or not it is in proper condition.

Typically, specified standards are set, against which the results of the inspection are compared to establish if the material being inspected is able to pass this stage of quality control.

New robot lends precision and reliability to the production of hearing aids, says Oticon

Hearing aid device manufacturer Oticon required a more flexible robot to handle the tiny hearing device components in its production.

The company had been using robot technology for the past 10 years. But, as the minute components became increasingly smaller in order to make the hearing aids more comfortable, the existing two- and three-axis robots used in manufacturing were no longer suitable.

Like many other cutting edge technologies – artificial intelligence, big data analytics – additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has been incorporated into daily use at Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing with the help of the team’s Technical Innovation Group.

In this case, TIG partner Renishaw, a global metrology firm which manufactures metal additive manufacturing machines, as well as working with the more familiar 3D printing in plastics for its own prototyping.

Engineering services provider Renishaw is collaborating with Dassault Systèmes, a 3D modelling, simulation and industrial operations software provider, as part of its commitment to provide and enhance software for metal additive manufacturing.

Global supplier of industrial automation parts, EU Automation, has released an infographic detailing the benefits of purchasing obsolete components as opposed to buying brand new equipment.

Focusing on the financial and regulatory benefits of sourcing obsolete, the handy infographic is available to download from the EU Automation website.

By investigating the cost of downtime in manufacturing industries, specifically for the food and beverage, automotive and pharmaceutical sectors, EU Automation’s infographic names sourcing obsolete components as one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to minimise stoppages in production. Continue reading Infographic: Why choose obsolete?

Robert Holloway, head of order fulfilment at obsolete industrial automation parts supplier EU Automation explores the effects of collaborative consumption on the manufacturing industry

Everyone has at least one old piece of clothing that they can’t bear to throw away. Believe it or not, the situation is similar with spare industrial parts. Manufacturers often keep a huge amount of spares, despite rarely accessing these stocks.

Collaborative consumption is the seamless circulation of products and services among individuals through sharing, swapping, trading, renting, borrowing or giving.

The US manufacturing sector is growing at the fastest rate it has in more than two years, according to calculations produced by the Institute for Supply Management and published in Forbes, among other media.

The Manufacturing ISM Report on Business figures show December was the best month for manufacturers in 2016. More components and parts were ordered this month than previous ones.

The ISM report is a survey sent out to a “manufacturing committee”, and collating the responses revealed that “of the 18 manufacturing industries, 11 are reporting growth in December”, according to ISM.

The ISM adds: “Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December, and the overall economy grew for the 91st consecutive month.”

Founded in 1961, Braas is based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and serves thousands of customers throughout the Midwest and Southeastern United States from a network of five sales offices and three warehouses. Continue reading Genuine Parts buys Braas

Dismiss almost every Viking costume you’ve ever laid eyes on. While these threatening Scandinavian tribes did wear all sorts of bizarre headgear when marching into battle, there’s no reason to believe it was decked with the intimidating horns popular culture loves so much.

RS Components has launched a range of products and solutions for companies involved in motion control applications equip and maintain systems, such as conveyors, used in diverse industries including automotive, packaging, manufacturing and production or in the chemical or food and beverage processing sectors.

Heiko Luckhaupt, marketing manager at RS, says the new line of components will enable companies to “keep current systems up and running for as long as possible”.

RS says budgetary constraint is an increasingly significant factor and many companies do not always have the luxury of purchasing completely new motion control systems.

Clearpath, the developer of Otto – a self-driving vehicle designed for material transport, has been selected to automate just-in-time parts delivery in a GE Healthcare repair facility being expanded near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.